there is no friction, with proper diction. good sounds abound, when the mouth is round. she catches herself on the last word, a hint of "missouri twang" slipping through.
round. yawn. she slips off her nightgown and lumbers into the steaming shower.
well, you're a little cutie.
hey! slow down! the van roars past. she pets the kitten. it purrs and licks stephanie's face. she sets it down.
go on home. shoo now! she heads for the bank. the kitten follows. she turns back, frowning.
shoo!
it says, here your employed by pemex?
isn't pemex a subsidiary of union oil?
so technically, your employer is an american company. i think we can make this work. i'll call you this afternoon and let you know. the happy couple shake stephanie's hand and exit. ellen, stephanie's pretty, twenty two year old, roommate, flops down into the seat across from her.
okay.
it's an absolutely, positively, forget about the shoes already, "no way". they're my only good pair and i need them in good shape for tomorrow.
dinner with ray's parents. ellen picks up a desktop photo: a shot of stephanie and her handsome boyfriend, ray, locked in an embrace, standing in the spray of a waterfall.
1 --i know. thanks.
i'm not putting on a show. she'll either accept me for who i am or not.
--shhhl i can't let my boss see him. stephanie glances to her manager, mr. jacks, a heavyset man sitting behind a large desk.
i told you. no. now beat it.
uh oh. you better bring the kitty home for me.
i told you, no. mr. jacks sneezes again, his eyes water. he turns to his
okay, fine! take the shoes!
of course not. i'll take care of everything. and thanks for choosing bank of california. ellen plays along.
goodbye. as ellen passes, mr. jacks sneezes again, harder.
i don't see any cats. or any animals.
by the way, i put the paperwork for the mcpherson loan on your desk.
that big corporate loan i've been trying to set up? it's just preliminary but--
mr. jacks, i was wondering it you had made any decision regarding the assistant manager's position yet?
stu? the trainee? stephanie turns to see stu, the balding loan officer who sits at his desk, watching, trying to figure out what jacks is saying to her.
mr. jacks, i feel that i'm perfectly capable of--
oh. okay.
sure.
no problem. jacks heads back toward his desk. stephanie grabs her purse and keys and as she heads out, stu calls after her:
sure.
i don't know.
well, now there's this new guy.  they're considering him too. ray sees how bummed out she is. he moves close, taking her in his arms.
oh, i've got something for you. she rummages through her purse and hands ray an envelope. he removes a coin. an old nickle.
one of the tellers found it for me. ray puts the coin back into the envelope and tucks it into his pocket.
i'd better get back to work. she quickly gathers her things. ray returns to grading his student's exams. the telephone rings. ray hits the speakerphone.
no i didn't, stu.
you never said that. stu rolls his eyes to mr. jacks. stephanie caught stu's look, but what can she do? she exits.
of course. what can i do for you? mrs. ganush coughs up phlegm and spits it into a linen handkerchief, which she tucks back into her puree. she hands stephanie a bunch of crumpled papers. stephanie reviews them.
mrs. "ganush"? the old woman nods.
this is a delinquency notice.  it says that the payment on your loan was due a number of months ago. and this other document.  is a court order for repossession. the bank is informing you of their intent to repossess-your property at 325 brandon street, tomorrow.,
well.  do you have the payment with you now?
i don't think my manager is going to extend you anymore credit. i'd like to help but.
okay. wait here. stephanie stands and moves off. the old woman picks through a bowl of hard candies on stephanie's desk. stephanie stands before mr. jacks. he acknowledges her without looking up from his work.
i've got an elderly woman asking for an extension on her mortgage payment.  they're in the process of repossessing her home. she's on a fixed income and she's had some medical problems. i was wondering if we could give her a break. stephanie hands mr. jacks the loan file. he puts on his bifocals, studies it. stephanie glances over her shoulder.
it would mean i'd have to throw her out of her house.
i'll take care of it. stephanie returns to her desk.
mrs. ganush, another extension on the loan is out of the question.
i'm sorry.
i tried to talk my boss into it but he just wouldn't approve.
mrs. ganush, you've given your granddaughter as a reference.  it says here, she lives nearby.  wouldn't you be better off living with her?
okay well, there's several fine "assisted living" facilities for the elderly.
well, of course, that's your choice.
i'm sorry there's nothing i can do. mrs. ganush begins to sob.
that isn't necessary, please. let's not make this personal. it's just the bank's policy. i'm really sorry mrs. ganush. stephanie takes the loan documents and places them neatly into a manila folder. she glances up but mrs. ganush is gone.  stephanie turns in her chair and is startled to see the old woman, kneeling before her. she clutches stephanie's leg with her gnarled hands.
please, let go. customers turn to look. mr. jacks glances up from his desk.
please, take your hands off me. but the old woman only clutches tighter.
t i'm calling security. she picks up the phone and presses a button.
could you please come over? mrs. ganush finally releases her grip and bows her head in humiliation.
thanks. mr. jacks nods, heads for home. stephanie loads a pile of contracts, a ruler and a desk stapler into a cardboard box and exits the bank. the security guard locks up behind her.
i beat you, you old bitch! next time take your geretol! the old woman bends down, beneath stephanie's view. stephanie looks about. where'd she go? the old woman pops up into view, raising a chunk of concrete and.  crashi stephanie screams as the window shatters. the old woman's head juts into the cart she clamps her toothless maw down upon stephanie.'s chin. suckling it, gumming. the old woman's good eye rolls about in ecstacy. stephanie shrieks as she pushes the slobbering head away. strands of spittle form a bridge from the old woman's mouth to ste phanie's jaw. the old woman's wrinkled hands grope about the front seat. she finds her dentures, now damaged from the fight. she grunts as she jams them back into her mouth. she comes at stephanie, mouth wide open and shrieking! stephanie grabs the wooden ruler from her cardboard box and shoves it down the old lady's throat. mrs. ganush gags, trying to retch up the ruler.
what--? what are you doing? stephanie sits up, reaching for her button. but the old woman 1 moves it out of reach.
what cry?
thank you, you've been very helpful.
i'm fine. ray waits, sensing that there's more to it.
i-- it's just that i could have gotten her another extension. but i didn't.
i guess. a breeze. she shivers. he wraps his arms around her protectively and after a moment, they walk on. stephanie watches wistfully as a young couple coo over their baby. behind the couple, stephanie notices a neon sign in a storefront window. it reads: psychic.
let's get our fortune's read!
how do you do? i'm stephanie brown and this is ray.
we'd like to have our fortunes read. can you do that? read the future?
wait. she removes some bills from her purse but ray waves her off, handing rham jas a credit card.
sorry. rham jas smiles back.
that's right! 4
no. i don't think so.
no, i- rham jas grabs her arm and turns it, revealing the threads. that once held the button on her coat sleeve.
well, yes! some old woman.
but ray, it was very strange. at the bank today. the old woman.  the one i told you about.  she plucked the button right from my sleeve.
wait. you saw something. what?
tell me. please. rham jas hesitates, then.
how?
no.
no. no, i didn't.
who? 0
how did he know all that?
he didn't want the money. he tried to give the money back.
i guess so.
uh.  just "kitty" so far.
don't tempt me. i've got to prep a presentation for the morning.
no. i'm planning on baking my special cake.
isn't he adorable?
no, i'm fine. have a good time.
but.  isn't that marci's dress?
get off me! get off! the phantom hands vanish. stephanie looks about, eyes wild.
ray, you're not listening. it wasn't her. it was something that she sicked on me.
i didn't tell you the whole story. that old woman.  after she knocked me down, and pulled the button from my coat, she told me that.
she said that something was coming for me.  and it did. ray stares at her with concern.
better now. at the time it just seemed so real. i'm so embarrassed.
po, what now, doc?
really?
you sure know how to talk to a girl.
sounds nice. she draws in a deep breath and for the first time that evening, she looks at peace. ray watches, her as she closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep.
oh my god: oh godl
go ahead.
no. no-- oh my god. i had some 4 dreams. awful.
the old lady. she was here.  i couldn't wake up. stephanie shakes her head. she can't finish. ray pulls back the drapes. sunlight pours into the room. stephanie tries to put the dream out of her mind. ray sits next to her, strokes her hair.
what are you, the hall monitor?
what do you want?
i've got a lot on my mind. let's do it tomorrow.
no, no, that's all right. i'll do it. where were we?
right. okay. let's say your client is a company that can't get traditional bank financing but 10 needs a secured loan. we offer--
uh, we offer several types of asset-based lending which consist of revolving lines of credit and term loans secured by accounts receivables, their inventory, machinery-- ,
--and get your filthy pig knuckle off my desk! stu is taken aback by stephanie's outburst. he retreats to his desk in confusion. stephanie sits, rattled. a drop of blood falls onto a piece of paper on her desk. the blood is trickling from her nose. stephanie grabs a tissue to halt the bleeding. she looks down to see a large black fly land upon the drop of blood. she gasps and stands, her mind racing. she knows what she must do. she finds mrs. ganush's loan documents. she stuffs them into a folder, grabs her purse and bolts for the exit. mr. jacks engaged with a customer, calls after her:
mrs. ganush? no answer. she steps inside.
mrs. ganush? ' she moves forward into the living room.
hi. i'm here because i think i can help you. i can get your house back for you.
so.  on behalf of the bank i just want to resolve this to your satisfaction. this whole thing got personal and there was really no reason for that. the bank made a mistake and i can fix it for you and in return i'd like you to- cancel or call off, whatever you.  you know-- that thing you did to me. okay? no hard feelings. so.
my mother was a proud woman. dignity. that's what she had. stephanie nods. waits an appropriate moment, then: places the document gently down on the floor next to mrs. ganush.
all you need to do is. sign here.  stephanie offers her a pen.
and i'll take care of the rest. mrs. ganush's hard eyes find stephanie's. they bore in.
please! i've suffered enough!
you're insane! just.  just a crazy old woman! i don't even know why i came here!
stu? the men warmly escort into the first national bank.
what's he doing at first national? the car behind her honks! she drives on.
like.  shrieking. it was awful. he nods. closes the book.
lamia. right. that's the word the old woman used.
accursed object? what object?
the button.
this? she holds the button up for him to inspect. but it's presence makes him uneasy. he wags his finger back and forth. she lowers it.
what if i just burn the thing?
take me where?
there's got to be something i can do.
no way. i'm a vegetarian. i'm a member of peta, for christ's sake. i don't go around killing animals.
ellen? ! but it's not ellen. stephanie puts her,ear to the door. the sound of an animal's hooves on wood. something is climbing the stairs. it stops outside her bedroom door. stephanie holds her breath, listening. she sees a shadow beneath the crack in the door.
i know that you're there! the window behind her explodes into the room with a deafening
here kitty-kitty.  here, kitty- kitty-kitty.  she moves closer until her face fills the screen.
no. why would there be blood?
that's just tomato juice. i was inside making a salad and.  i cut a tomato and i must have gotten it on my sleeve. ellen gives her roommate a worried look.
i had some problems. a situation. but i think everything is going to be good now. ellen isn't so sure.
what about this one? she hold up a longer, more formal dress.
but that's what i want it to say. ellen shakes her head, no. stephanie takes a last look in the mirror, decides to go with the short skirt.
okay. this is it.
just that this little cabin would be a great place for us to really connect and that there was something he'd been meaning to talk about with me.
what's wrong? i
but i thought you said that relationship was only physical.
huh.
you like
it's just that i'm not, some ivy leaguer with an impressive resume. i have a feeling that's what your folks really want.
is that so? ray gives her a reassuring nod. the front door opens revealing ray's parents, george and trudy dalton. behind them we glimpse an exquisitely furnished foyer.
it's very nice to meet you, too.
thank you.
you have a lovely home.
i hope you don't mind. i baked something for you. trudy hesitates, then takes the cake from stephanie.
it's a harvest cake.
we used to, yeah, when you have a lot of extra duck eggs. especially right before spring; that's when you get a real dense yolk. makes for, rich cake. the mother forces a smile.
sure. it's easy. the real secret's in the milk. you want it unpasteurized.
uh huh. and you want that milk still warm. straight from the cow. trudy has to stifle her gag reflex. george returns and hands ray and stephanie a cocktail.
that's okay. i had a cat. i understand.
how would i know what happened? probably nothing. you know how cats are. they come and they go. ray nods slowly. about to say something but let's it go.
almost two years now.
yes, you're right. but i'm not a teller.
i'd like to think so.  actually, it depends. if i could close this big account that i'm working on, it would really help.
it would be the biggest that my branch has ever handled.
well, i was reading the wall street journal and found this innovative medical supply company that was interested in expanding but didn't have the liquidity. i met with their cfo and presented a formula for restructuring-some of their long term debt. it created an environment where i was able to offer them a rather attractive loan
i suppose. i don't see her much.
well, ever since my dad died she doesn't talk much. she mostly stays on the farm and.  keeps to herself. because.  there is an awkward silence.
yes. i'm afraid she does.
thank you.
no. not at all. that's what mom's are for.
excuse me. she clears her throat. but the cough returns, grows larger.
just a little tickle in my-- she stands and takes a few steps away from the table. ray looks on concerned.
--wait. what's that sound?
shhh! listen! trudy listens along with the others. they can't hear anything. but stephanie hears the footsteps drawing closer.
must be deafer than a post! but trudy heard that and takes offense. but before she can say anything, a shadow appears at the base of the door. stephanie stands and shouts at it:
i.  i think i'd better go.
the thing that's coming for me. what the old woman sent.
no. i wanted to believe that-- but it's real, ray. you just don't want to open your eyes to it because it threatens you. because if i'm right and there is something out there, then you'd have to throw out everything you teach. and where'd that leave you? like a plow without a mule. ray just stares at her. a long moment passes as he wonders if maybe she isn't right.
unless you're willing to take a chance and believe in me, i can't be with you any more. she steps into the car and drives off. ray watches her tail lights, as they vanish into the night.
hi. yes. i came to see sylvia ganush. is she here? the door opens wider, revealing a sexy twenty-four year old gypsy girl. ilenka ganush. bottle of beer in her hand, long black hair, earrings and a snake tatoo on'her neck. she wears a low cut shirt and tight shorts. eastern european hip hop and laughter are heard from within the house.
stephanie brown. i'm.  sort of.  a friend of hers. actually, i've been trying to help her with a loan
it was really the bank that took the house. i just work there. in fact, i tried to help your grandma get-the house back, but my boss wouldn't let me. ilenka knows she's lying. stephanie knows that she knows.
 no.
yes.
okay! i did it. it was me who denied her the loan. i was trying, to get ahead at work and i shouldn't have done it. it was wrong.
and i'm ashamed about it. and i'm going to get down on my hands and knees and beg her to forgive me. she said-that i hadn't suffered enough. but now i think she'll see that i have and then maybe she'll let me.
yes. ilenka gives a bitter, cryptic smile. she motions for stephanie to follow. they enter a room filled with young gypsies drinking, smoking and talking loudly in a slavic tongue. a woman with a cane shouts as she throws a pair of dice. a hungarian man with a long, braided ponytail, curses his bad luck as he pays cash to the woman.
no, please-- i needed her to take this thing off me.
you know about it? then, please help me. i'm begging you.
fuck that! i paid you a hundred and seventy nine dollars for that book!
i did what you said- that blood offering.  i killed that little kitty deader than hogan's goat. lotta good that did me.
just tell me what to do. rham jas considers. a dark look crosses his face. stephanie tries to read his expression.
how?
have you done this before?
what would you need from me? rham jas thinks for a moment, weighing the dangers. he pulls out a pipe and packs it with tobacco. he tamps it down and lights up.
ellen. i'm sorry. this a bad time right now. i got a little emergency and.  say you got any cash i can borrow? she starts stuffing the valuables into a large duffle bag.
--what about your credit cards? what's your cash advance limit?
where has that little rascal been? he's always running off, have you noticed that?
i didn't want to tell you. it fell out the window and died. it's sad,
what are you, a cat detective?
uh.  duhi
an' don't let the barn door hit you on your ass on yer way out!
i can't get the twenty thousand. you're gonna have to help me with what i've got.
how much?! camera pulls back to reveal that we are'in a pawn shop. men haggle loudly in arabic over the price of a gold chain. the pawn broker stands before-all of stephanie's worldly belongings: a toaster oven, computer, racing bike, stereo, microwave oven, necklaces, jewelry.
including my jewlery?
six thousand.
look, i'll give you six now and--
i'll take it! stephanie thinks about how she'll get the extra cash. she hesitantly dials a number on the pay phone. it rings and rings as she glances to a picture buried deep in her wallet: a. photo of.  the younger, obese stephanie and her stern looking mother. both stand before a bleak snow covered, mid-western farm.
mom? hi, it's me. did you get,the christmas card? yeah, i guess it has been a while. listen, i'm in kind of a fix, here. i've been pretty sick and i need to borrow some money for an operation. i need fourteen thousand dollars right away. now i know you still have that pension fund at the credit union so-- yeah, but.  okay. okay, it's just that--- i understand. okay, mom. bye. the line goes dead. she slumps down against the pay phone.
mr. jacks, this is kind of awkward for me.  i know it's not official yet, but i was wondering if i could get a copy of the employment contract for the new position you offered me?
yes. see, one of my family members is having a little emergency which requires me to get them an immediate loan--
what? 1
stu. i see. mr. jacks sees tears begin to well up in her eyes.
are you coming in?
i know how crazy this must seem. but it will all be over after this i swear to you. he nods. she kisses him.
i'll call you when it's done.
we'll laugh about it on the train, tomorrow.
and?
that's reassuring.
i'll do whatever it takes. and the sooner the better.
yes.
what do i have to do?
i'm scared.
i welcome the dead into my soul.
it was my manager, jim jacks. he was the one ! he--
for god's sake, stop the chanting, it's killing him! rham jas pushes her aside.
no! get her off! mrs. ganush grabs at stephanie's head. stephanie pulls away but it costs her a clump of hair that mrs. ganush rips from her head. mrs. ganush opens her mouth.  wide.  wider still.  she vomits out stephanie's dead cat. it lands atop the table. stephanie screams uncontrollably. shaun san dena, is trembling as her chanting comes to a climax. mrs. ganush changes back to the possessed milo. the last of the white vapor is torn from milos body as the spirit of the lamia leaves him. milos falls to the floor and all is quiet. an ashen faced shaun san dena halts her chant.
let me help you.
my god. my god.  he checks her pulse one last time. the cpr is finally halted. rham jas closes her eyes, then touches her forehead, praying:
it's sad:
strange how things work out. she waited years for another chance to overcome the lamia . and finally she did.
what?
but then, what am i supposed to do? rham jas shrugs. he fishes in his pocket for his car keys.
no longer the owner? i don't understand. rham jas reaches into his coat pocket and removes a blank envelope. he places the button within and seals it.
why didn't you tell me this before?!
yes. it's all over. ray squeezes her hand. appreciating the two of them now more than ever. stephanie screams as.  mrs. ganush.appears in the headlights, standing on the road before them! ray hits the breaks. the car screeches to a halt! stephanie's purse with the envelope and.some of ray's papers fall to the floor.
yes, everything's fine.
it's better if we meet at the d station. there's something i've got to do on the way. stephanie suddenly' clutches at her purse. the envelope is gone!
wait! where's my envelope?
it's got to be here! then, stephanie comes upon something under the seat. she smiles and stands. a white envelope held tightly in her hand.
got , it .
drinks coffee and stares at the white envelope that's tucked into the side pocket of her purse. she scans the patrons and considers giving it to each of them, then one by one, rejects the idea.
banana boat sundae.
takes a deep breath, stands and walks to his table.
i wonder if you could help me out? the old man looks up, sees her desperation.
i just need you to hang on to this envelope for me. just until tomorrow. she extends the envelope to him. he hesitates.
just take the envelope and i'll explain. please. the old man considers. he reaches for the envelope when an old woman, his wife, hobbles toward the table. the old man helps her sit and puts away her cane. they turn to stephanie who withdraws the envelope.
never mind. stephanie returns to her seat, ashamed at what she almost did. she returns the envelope to the purse pocket, racking her brains, trying to think of some way out of this. her gaze lands upon a stack of newspapers on the next table. she grabs the paper and finds the obituaries.
well? is it possible? 0
i'll shove it down her goddamn throat. she zips up her raincoat. something flits past the window. too.quick to.see. then it reappears. it's mrs. ganush's hankie. it.flies against stephanie's windshield and gets caught on the wiper blade. stephanie gasps. it flaps in the wind, blocking her view. stephanie hits the wiper button. the hankie is yanked-back and forth across the windshield.
i'm giving it back to you. she grabs mrs. ganush's hand and tries to get her clenched fist to open, but rigor morris has locked it shut. stephanie pulls with all her might, causing.
you'll take it, all right.  she picks up the shovel and jams the blade into the old woman's mouth, wedging it between her teeth. she pries the jaw open. mud and rivulets of water begin pouring down into the grave from all sides. the body of mrs. ganush is quickly being re-buried.
i, stephanie brown, do hereby make a formal gift of this button to you, sylvia ganush. she jams the white envelope down the old woman's throat.
choke on it, bitch. she kicks the old woman's jaw.  it snaps shut, trapping the envelope between her broken teeth. muddy water cascades down into the grave, flowing over mrs.  ganush's face. it covers everything, except the jutting envelope and a single, staring white eye. stephanie tries to climb out but the walls are too slick. she grabs at a clump of sod at the top of the hole but it tears away, unleashing an avalanche of mud that buries her up to her armpits.
hey! good morning.
please. i know what i want. that coat in the window. the saleswoman considers.
my boyfriend and i are taking a very special trip this morning. stephanie's smile is bright. her joy is contagious. the saleswoman relents and lets stephanie in.
ray! ray embraces her and grabs her luggage. a train whistle sounds as the train approaches.
great.
but let me say this first while i have it straight in my head. you never stopped believing in me. i'll try and live up to that. they share an intimate moment. a romantic kiss. he breaks off and smiles.
thanks. stephanie models her new coat.
you like it? it's brand new.
i got rid of it. i never want to see it again.